Ars Magica 9th Century Campaign
Svengi Knarllifist

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Svengi Knarllifist of House Bjornaer
filius Horthgar Bjornesonn
(Viking Mage, Original Version)

Background

Horthgar Bjornesonn of House Bjornaer, commonly known as Horthgar the Oft Maligned, was the master to Svengi Knarllifist. He was a cruel man, who was disliked throughout the Order of Hermes, and knew it. Most of his life was spent in seclusion, working modest magics to spite people who had, or he thought had, done him wrongs. Horthgar's only reason for taking an apprentice was to help him with his work, and to give him someone to vent his anger upon.

Svengi's life as an apprentice began at the age of eight, when his poor peasant parents sold him to Horthgar, His parents feared Horthgar's wrath if they did not take the small amount of silver offered for their third son. For the next fifteen years, Svengi's life consisted of cleaning, acting as personal servant and laboratory assistant, and beatings. His education proceeded slowly at first, as Horthgar would teach him only during those few times when his anger softened. Svengi soon became quite good at recognizing when his master would be open to answering questions, and rarely missed an opportunity to learn what he could. This learning was done primarily out of hate. Svengi hoped to one day be able to turn his knowledge against Horthgar. Eventually, though, Svengi realized that this hope was forlorn, as Horthgar, although no great magus, would never give him such knowledge. His only possible future became to complete his apprenticeship, and to then get as far from Horthgar as possible.

In 898 AD, Svengi's chance to leave Horthgar appeared. Horthgar was instructed to attend the Tribunal at Durenmar in Germany. There, Svengi waited one night until Horthgar was roaring drunk (not a particularly long wait, actually), and worked Horthgar into a discussion with other Bjornaer magi about their abilities, and the abilities of their apprentices. As expected, Horthgar claimed that he was the greatest, and, of course, his apprentice was the greatest. Svengi then suggested that he should demonstrate this as his gauntlet. Horthgar, too angry and drunk to remember that this would end the apprenticeship, agreed. Well, obviously, Svengi passed the gauntlet, not carrying whether or not he was the best. All that mattered was that he was acclaimed a magus of House Bjornaer, and thus was free of Horthgar. The next evening, he met with a group of newly graduated ex-apprentices, and his adventures began.

Once free of his master, Svengi had only two notable desires. First, to sail the seas as a Viking ... as he had heard in the tales told by bards on special occasions. Second, to learn stronger magics, to increase his power and abilities. Unfortunately, it seems neither of these will ever be his. Fleeing from Horthgar meant that he would be years getting back to the fjords and the Viking way of life. Also, his access to magical knowledge, while never great, is almost nil, given the limited resources of his new life.

Svengi Knarllifist is a tall, lean individual. Few people ever see his face, as he keeps it hidden deep within the hood of his robes. Were they to see him, he would look like typical Nordic stock; pale, with light colored hair, and blue eyes. He usually walks with a stooped posture, which is both an affectation and a habit learned in response to the frequent beatings his master would give him. His movements generally give the impression of someone quite a bit older. This is an attempt to covey a sense of mystery and wisdom, and an effort to avoid physical confrontations, since he knows he is not as strong as most people. In contrast to the impression of age, the movements of his head and hands are normally quick and abrupt, much like those of a bird. The resulting effect, combined with the Gift, generally causes other people to be uneasy around him.

Other Comments

This is the original version of Svengi Knarllifist. This version appeared in the first session of the campaign, but was replaced by the second version at the request of the Campaign Master, because almost all the characters were reclusive types who needed someone to push them along.

This character was created as a change of pace. In the then current campaigns, my characters always got stuck with the leader role, with others expecting the character to tell them what needed to be done, or to act as the glue for a group of disparate personalities. Just for once, I wanted to be the one who stood back and let others rush in first. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Svengi was patterned after a Viking sage in an old movie. Unfortunately I have forgotten the title, but it was about a group of Vikings who sailed from Greenland to North America to rescue their king. He had been captured by Indians while on a previous expedition. It stared Lee Majors (you know ... the six million dollar man) as the prince and leader of the Vikings. With the Viking party was a sage. He could read the signs and predict the future. He was also believed to be able to work modest magics. So, Svengi was going to look and, to an extent, act like the sage in the movie. Svengi even had a spell list which was better designed for use at sea than in the mountains of Rumania, but then that was the logic of the character. I am sure it would have been quite interesting to play.

In the following tables, italic entries indicate different values from the second version of the character. Additions or deletions to the character are not noted.

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Back Ars Updated: 20 June 1999